CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative

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CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative

Medicares official corps of volunteers committed
to helping people with Medicare join a
prescription drug plan
A Presentation for the Access to Benefits
Coalition March 2006
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Background
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Understanding the Challenge Medicare
Prescription Drug Coverage

• Through Ogilvys work on behalf of CMS to promote
  the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card and
  Transitional Assistance Initiative, a critical
  need was revealed for personalized assistance for
  beneficiaries through community-based
  organizations (CBOs)
• The effectiveness and importance of providing
  one-on-one assistance to beneficiaries and
  caregivers in need of decision support and
  enrollment-assistance became increasingly evident

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Rising to the Challenge Building a National
Corps of Volunteers

• In anticipation of the implementation of Medicare
  Part D on January 1, 2006, CMS continued to focus
  attention on the need to educate Medicare
  beneficiaries and their caregivers about the new
  prescription drug benefit through one-on-one
  assistance
• Volunteers nationwide have been asked to respond
  to a national call to action to help provide
  enrollment assistance and decision support to
  Medicare beneficiaries who need help enrolling in
  the new prescription drug coverage

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What is the CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative?

• A Medicare sponsored national corps of volunteers
  to provide one-on-one assistance to people with
  Medicare who need help joining a prescription
  drug plan
• Volunteers are deployed nationwide primarily
  through local State Health Insurance Assistance
  Programs (SHIPs), Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs),
  Access to Benefits Coalition members and other
  select organizations that are providing
  enrollment assistance to people with Medicare

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Partnering with VolunteerMatch

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A Strategic Approach to Identifying CMS
MedicareRx Volunteers

• Institutionalizing a process for recruiting,
  training, and deploying volunteers in local
  community organizations and raising awareness of
  this historic change to Medicare through
  volunteer communities and the general public,
  predominantly through the use of nontraditional
  media (e.g., the Internet), should be noted as
  the strategic approach of the CMS MedicareRx
  Volunteer Initiative
• Since November 15, 2005 2,233 volunteers have
  been recruited, trained and deployed in 648
  community-based organizations nationwide as of
  Friday, March 24, 2006

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Launching the CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative

• VolunteerMatch is the leading Internet-based
  volunteer recruiting tool for more than 30,0000
  nonprofit organizations
• VolunteerMatch was able to help bring to life the
  CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative on November
  15, 2005. The site can be found at
• www.volunteermatch.org/medicarerx

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Describing the Volunteer Matching Process

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Qualifications For Becoming a CMS MedicareRx
Volunteer

• Basic understanding of Medicare and an interest
  in helping people with Medicare consider their
  options and join a plan if they choose
• Access to and familiarity with the Internet
  (enrollment activities will be computer-based)
• Transportation to local community enrollment
  events
• To become a volunteer in the CMS MedicareRx
  Volunteer Initiative, individuals do not need to
  be Medicare experts, but must be Internet savvy
  and have read and understood Medicares free
  official training, the Help is Here Resource Kit
  that is be sent to them once they have registered
  as a volunteer.

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Registering in the CMS MedicareRx Volunteer
Initiative A Stepwise Process
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Training MedicarerRx Volunteers The Help is Here
Resource Kit

• All active volunteers receive a hard copy of
  Medicares official training materials, the Help
  is Here Resource Kit within 7 to 10 days of their
  registration on VolunteerMatch
• The MedicareRx Help is Here Resource Kit,
  designed for individuals providing assistance to
  people with Medicare, offers step-by-step
  instructions for explaining how to use the
  MedicareRx Web tools to navigate the online
  prescription drug plan enrollment process

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Where can I learn more about the CMS MedicareRx
Volunteer Initiative?

• More information about the CMS MedicareRx
  Volunteer Initiative is hosted at
  www.volunteermatch.org/medicarerx
• If you would like to request a bulk shipment of
  Medicares Help is Here Resource Kit contact,
  send your request to medicarerx_at_volunteermatch.org

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Advancing the CMS MedicareRx Volunteer Initiative

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New Tips for Recruiting CMS MedicareRx Volunteers

• Accept volunteers who are willing and able to
  fill gaps and needs unique to your organization,
  dont limit the volunteers role to enrollment
  assistance
• Take advantage of the opportunity to promote the
  need for volunteers if Medicares Mobile Office
  Tour comes to your community
• Identify your best volunteers and profile them in
  your community news outlets and encourage other
  community members to get involved with your
  organization

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Five Tips to Help Your Organization Be a Great
Place to Volunteer

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Tip 1 Be Proactive and Prepared

• Contact your volunteers as soon as you learn that
  they are interested in helping people with
  Medicare in your community. Before the volunteer
  arrives for their first day, gather any necessary
  supplies and clear a workspace for them. Once
  they arrive, dont keep them waiting. If you
  expect punctuality, lead by example.
• Make sure you convey the timeliness of the
  opportunity by emphasizing that people with
  Medicare have until May 15, 2006 to enroll in a
  Medicare prescription drug plan, and that
  volunteers are needed NOW. Remind volunteers
  that their efforts are part of a critical and
  historic national call-to-action to help people
  with Medicare get access to affordable
  prescription drug coverage.

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Tip 2 Make Volunteers Feel Welcome

• When you first meet your volunteers, offer a tour
  of the office or event area, make coffee or water
  available, and dont be afraid to show your
  enthusiasm. Reference incentives such as free
  food and refreshments with a morning Medicare
  prescription drug plan enrollment session,
  effectively sweeten and enliven the experience
  for volunteers!
• Part of feeling comfortable in a new place means
  knowing a few names. Casually introduce your
  volunteers to coworkers and other volunteers
  before engaging them in their volunteer
  opportunity.

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Tip 3 Set Expectations

• Be clear with your volunteers about what is
  expected of them. Tell them what you need
  accomplished and act as a resource should they
  have questions or concerns about providing
  enrollment assistance and decision support to
  people with Medicare.
• If your organization is trying to recruit
  volunteers for certain days of the week or
  volunteers with specific language skills, create
  a customized volunteer opportunity through your
  VolunteerMatch profile. Use language like, To
  assist people with Medicare, our organization
  needs 20 volunteers by April 30th. You can make
  a difference. Volunteer today!
• Most people have a busy schedule and volunteers
  are no exception. Let your volunteers know how
  long their help will be needed so they can plan
  their day accordingly.

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Tip 4 Train Sufficiently

• Your volunteers are excited to help out.
  Remember, they found you and want to contribute
  their time to your organization to help people
  with Medicare. Make sure they have the tools
  necessary to succeed. Volunteers will need
  ongoing training and support from your
  organization so that they can effectively help
  people with Medicare understand their
  prescription drug plan options and make a
  decision.
• Volunteers should be reassured of their
  responsibilities while volunteering with your
  organization, be clear about your precise needs
  (e.g., one-on-one assistance, answering
  telephones, returning calls, etc.).

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Tip 5 Show Appreciation

• Congratulate your volunteers on a job well done.
  Sometimes a simple gesture of thanks is
  sufficient. For volunteers who contribute or
  have made a strong impact on your organization,
  consider giving them a card or taking them out to
  lunch.
• Thank you.

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For more information

• Alyson Burns
• Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
• [phone]
• Alyson.Burns_at_ogilvypr.com